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Tuesday, March 04, 2014

We often don't think about eclipses. Lunar eclipses go by without much notice. There is a bit more excitement with total solar eclipses. After all, these phenomena are just alignments based on the orbits of Earth, the Moon, and the Sun - and nothing more. The same is true for much of astrology - but it still retains its popularity for human affairs. Historically, however, eclipses were considered omens - often on the bad side. But eclipses have also inspired great art. Now a 19th-century opera, Prince Igor, by Alexander Brodin is being performed at New York's Metropolitan Opera - and it looks fantastic. For those of us who won't be driving to New York anytime soon, it is also being shown live in theaters as well. And if you still are not impressed, consider the fact that it is based in what is now Ukraine! Talk about timings. Here is an excerpt of a review from Nature that talks about its plot:

The opera's plot hinges on the defeat, psychological journey and
redemption of Prince Igor Svyatoslavich. A historical ruler of Putivl in
modern-day Ukraine, he is at war against the Polovtsy nomads, who have
laid waste to Russia. The eclipse appears just five minutes into the
prologue, a portent of Igor's military failure. The light coming through
the windows darkens for a few seconds. “The sky grows dark? What does
it mean? It is a sign from heaven,” sings the chorus, begging the
soldiers not to go to war. “The Sun is a crescent, like the Moon.” The
solar motif runs through the opera: in the third act, Igor, devastated
by his defeat, evokes the Sun again: “I will save my people ... the Sun
will shine again.” Ultimately, Borodin throws off the pall of
superstition to show that humans — not celestial events — are in charge.
At the very end, the prince, with an abruptness that we found
unconvincing, begins to salvage wood from the ruins to rebuild his city,
once again leading his people.

Looks fantastic, but it is 270 minutes long!! Read the full review here (you may need subscription to access it).

And while we are on the topic of eclipses, one interesting story is of how Christopher Columbus used his knowledge of eclipses to gain influence over the native population in Jamaica. From Science News from 2006:

Nearly 2 years after sailing from Cadiz in 1502, Columbus and his
restless, disgruntled crew were stranded on the north coast of Jamaica,
confined to worm-eaten, leaking ships. The native inhabitants were no
longer awed by the newcomers. Annoyed by their voracious appetites and
angry at the depredations of crew members, who had plundered several
villages, the population was hostile and would no longer supply food.Weary
and ill, Columbus had withdrawn to his ship. There, he pondered his
precarious situation. Returning to the stained pages of the Ephemerides, he noted Regiomontanus's prediction of a total eclipse of the moon on Feb. 29, 1504.

Such
an eclipse occurs only when the moon passes into Earth's shadow. A
lunar eclipse looks the same anywhere on Earth, but it occurs at
different times, as measured by local clocks. Regiomontanus's book
contained not only the expected dates of eclipses but also diagrams
illustrating how completely the moon would be covered and precise
information about each eclipse's duration and timing down to the hour.

Columbus
had observed a lunar eclipse on an earlier voyage and had noticed
discrepancies between the predictions made by Zacuto and those contained
in the Ephemerides. Moreover, he had no reliable way of
determining the correct local time of this particular projected eclipse.
The times provided by Regiomontanus for its start and end were for
Nuremberg, Germany.

Despite these uncertainties, Columbus was
desperate enough to take a chance. On the day before the predicted
eclipse, he summoned the leaders of the native inhabitants and warned
them through an interpreter that if they did not cooperate with him, the
moon would disappear from the sky on the following night.

The
natives for the most part were unimpressed; some even laughed. Columbus
nervously awaited the outcome of his gamble. Could he rely on tables
that had been compiled several decades earlier and that predicted the
positions of celestial bodies only for the years between 1475 and 1506?
How large were the errors?

Amazingly, the prediction proved
correct. As the full moon rose in the east on the appointed night,
Earth's shadow was already biting into its face. As the moon rose
higher, the shadow became larger and more distinct until it completely
obscured the moon, leaving nothing but a faint red disk in the sky.

The
natives were sufficiently frightened by this unexpected occurrence and
by Columbus's uncanny prediction to beg forgiveness and appeal to him to
restore their moon to the sky. Columbus responded that he wished to
consult with his deity. He retired to his quarters, using a half-hour
sandglass to time how long the eclipse would last. Some time later, when
the eclipse had reached totality, he emerged to announce that the moon,
in answer to his prayers, would gradually return to its normal
brightness.

The next day, the natives brought food and did all
they could to please Columbus and his crew. Columbus himself used the
timing of the eclipse to calculate his ship's longitude, but his answer
proved wildly erroneous.

On June 29, 1504, a Spanish ship rescued
Columbus's stranded party, a year after it had beached on the Jamaican
coast. A few months later, Columbus set sail for Spain, bringing to an
end his voyages to the New World.

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What is Irtiqa?

Irtiqa is Salman Hameed's blog. A few years ago (before Facebook killed many of the blogs), it used to track stories of science & religion, especially those related to Muslim societies. That is still one of its foci, but now it dovetails more of Salman's interests including film, astronomy, science fiction, and science outreach in both Pakistan and the US.

Irtiqa literally means evolution in Urdu. But it does not imply only biological evolution. Instead, it is an all encompassing word used for evolution of the universe, biological evolution, and also for biological/human development. While it has created confusion in debates over biological evolution in South Asia, it provides a nice integrative name for this blog. For further information, contact Salman Hameed.

The blog banner is designed by Muhammad Aurangzeb Ahmad. You can find all his creative endeavors at Orangie.

Salman Hameed

Salman is an astronomer and Associate Professor of Integrated Science & Humanities at Hampshire College, Massachusetts. Currently, he is working on understanding the rise of creationism in contemporary Islamic world and how Muslims view the relationship between science & religion. He is also working with historian Tracy Leavelle at Creighton University to analyze reconciliation efforts between astronomers and Native Hawaiians over telescopes on top of sacred Mauna Kea in Hawaii. He teaches “History and Philosophy of Science & Religion” with philosopher Laura Sizer, and “Science in the Islamic World”, both at Hampshire College. Salman and Laura Sizer are also responsible for the ongoing Hampshire College Lecture Series on Science & Religion, and you can find videos of all these lectures below. Contact information here.